1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus (a printer) for printing print data received from a host computer on a receipt, and relates more particularly to a printing apparatus and a printing method that can delete a portion of the received print data from the host computer without modifying the host computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Printing methods enabling printers that print receipts using print data generated by and received from a host computer (software application program) to add and print other print data in a desired location in the received print data are currently known. Print data may be added to embellish the receipt or as a sales promotion tool, and may include, for example, a store logo, store name and address, or product coupons.
Printers that can add and print new print data without requiring modification of the host computer are also known. An example of such a printer is taught and disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2004-58323.
While the printer taught in Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2004-58323 can generate store information of, for example, the store name and address to be added to a receipt and to be printed at the beginning of the receipt, the print data generated by the host computer may also include the same store information for printing at the beginning of the receipt. Therefore, unless the host computer is reconfigured to delete the store information from the print data output to the printer, the new print data containing the same store information for printing at the beginning of the receipt will be printed in addition to the conventionally generated store information, and the same information will thus be printed twice. Print data that was needed at one time but has become unnecessary likewise cannot be removed from the print data output to the printer without modifying the host computer or software application.
The present invention is directed to solving the foregoing problem by providing a printing apparatus and a printing method to enable print data received from a host computer to be selectively deleted without modifying the host computer or software application and printed as actual data.